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In a small paper library on an island, a mother reads a slim guide in an armchair under a warm lamp while her son stands on a step stool to take a book from the shelf.

Insight · Mastery · 5 min read

What a mastery check is, and what it isn’t

A mastery check is a short, low-stakes way to see whether your child really gets a skill. It isn’t a test to pass or fail.

Theme · Mastery and math

StatusIn preparation · the full piece will follow our opening

What it is

A handful of questions at the end of a skill, asking your child to solve, explain and apply what they’ve learned. Some questions look different from the practice, so we can see understanding rather than memory of a pattern.

What it isn’t

It isn’t a grade, a ranking or something to study for. Nobody is compared with anyone else. If your child isn’t ready yet, that’s useful information: we go back to the part that isn’t secure, practise it and check again.

Short, frequent and low-stakes.

The short version

Why short and frequent

Recalling something strengthens memory more than rereading it, so frequent short checks are part of learning, not just a measure of it. They also keep the stakes low; no single check is ever a big event.

What you’ll see

Your progress updates tell you which skills your child has mastered, which are in progress and what comes next, in plain words.

What you’ll take away

  1. 01Short, frequent and low-stakes.
  2. 02Not ready yet means we know exactly what to practise.
  3. 03Checking is part of learning, not only a measure of it.

Every child deserves to be known. Let’s start with yours.

Come and meet us. Founding families get a free diagnostic assessment that shows exactly where your child is, before you decide anything.